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What did you do to your Z today?


Racer Z

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I just finished acquiring the necessary parts and materials to re-plumb the brake lines from the master cylinder to the proportioning valve and eliminate the bias switch.  I also picked up everything I will need to make a spare tire well sub enclosure.  This is going to be a fun week or two.

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Busted butt all week to get ready for my de-virginification: NASA HPDE-1 (FNG)

Up at 4am. Pouring rain in AZ.

Made for certain I was the 1st guy through Tech while it was still dark and wet. Slipped by the inspectors somehow.

 

Still pouring rain... and scary dark..

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Amazing day at the Firebird West track yesterday. Pouring rain all day actually made for superb training on car control. The Z did great. An interesting combo of handling and power.

 

Just about everyone has a "Z story". Either they used to own one or their neighbor had one or somebody took them for a ride. Its pretty cool that people like the old Z cars. Classic? Several people said the Z car sounded awesome chasing that GTO on the straight up to 7300 in 3rd gear. None of my other classmates would turn off their traction control (GTO, WRX, 335i). Only me and the Miata guy spun out ever.

 

Watching the RHD Skyline chase the 1000hp Viper in rain was cool. And the sound! Will post a vid soon.

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None of my other classmates would turn off their traction control (GTO, WRX, 335i). Only me and the Miata guy spun out ever.

So you and the Miata driver actually learned something about car control.  Kind of hard to learn how to drive when the car does all the driving.

 

Sounds like you had a grand old time, learned something and had fun learning it. :)  I've been Time Trialing my 240Z for about four years now and my Dad's Alfa a couple of years before that.  Although I don't like being wet and cold, a wet track can be a fun track and the time to learn "real" car control.  The first time I got my Z on the track I was amazed at how neutral she felt and how well mannered she was.  We had her corner weighted while she was bone stock and found that 51% of the weight is on the front axle.  Don't need a mid-engine car to have a neutral handling car.

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I should probably weigh sometime but i have a few other faults to correct before the next event in February.

Tranny is #1, need my brake pedal to sit a little higher so I can blip throttle better, or vice-versa, fix heavy front bias, few other things.

 

When really hammering the car hard it gets a little stinky?  Probably oil burning off parts of the exhaust that aren't normally that hot?

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Well I've had a PDK strut bar sitting in the attic for a few years now and figured I'd start the install. It's a weld in and I just had the engine compartment painted so welding was out. I got a little creative. Not finished yet but what do you think so far?

 

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Well I've had a PDK strut bar sitting in the attic for a few years now and figured I'd start the install. It's a weld in and I just had the engine compartment painted so welding was out. I got a little creative. Not finished yet but what do you think so far?

Slicker than snot.  I would be very happy to have it in my Z.

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I should probably weigh sometime but i have a few other faults to correct before the next event in February.

Tranny is #1, need my brake pedal to sit a little higher so I can blip throttle better, or vice-versa, fix heavy front bias, few other things.

 

When really hammering the car hard it gets a little stinky?  Probably oil burning off parts of the exhaust that aren't normally that hot?

Could be oil burning off.  Could be tired rings or a rich carb mix.  I've been Time Trialing for six years or so and the more common smell is hot tires and hot brake pads.  Slipping clutches smell just like hot brakes.  You're pushing your car way past it's design limits, so it will get hot and create smells you're not used too.  

 

We always get a cool down lap after a session to let things cool off before parking it.  Be sure to NOT set the parking brake in the pits. That won't allow the rotors to cool evenly and will cause the rotors to warp.

 

We've been plagued with heat related brake problems so I finally bought some temperature sensitive paint.  Our front rotors got up to 1600 degrees.  The pads turned ash white and cracked.  Most definitely time to run some cooling ducts.

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Must have been oil on exhaust.  And the 5 inches of standing water on turn 3 and 4 that burned off on the straight.

 

It is just cool how many people say they appreciate having an old Z on the track.

And to me, that makes it all worthwhile. ..  Plus the fact that it is still "competitive"..

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Its that thing that money goes into slowly, but comes out of instantaneously and brings pretty little boxes with labels like Summit, Jegs, Speedway, Racerparts Wholesale, Discount Tires, JTR, JCI and the likes.  When it is full, everyday is Christmas-when it is empty its like a long slow burn with endless days of looking at a lonely car on jackstands.  For the surfers out there, a full checkbook is like Santa Cruz in January and an empty checkbook is like the North Shore in July-a good time for fishing and snorkling.

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